James Gurney

This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

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or by email:gurneyjourney (at) gmail.comSorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.

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All images and text are copyright 2015 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.

However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.

In a French movie from around 1967 called "A Man and A Woman", the eponymous characters are conversing, and this is said: "Life is more important than art." "You mean that if the house is burning, you should save the cat rather than the Rembrandt." "Yes."I have thought about those words many times since then. I do believe that Life is more important than Art, but does it really come down to that? Judging from the trailer, this movie seems to be holding, somewhat exaggeratedly, to the opposite point: that saving great art is tied to the saving of what ties our whole culture to its soul. And therefore, saving these paintings is worth losing lives for. I don't know. It would seem to me that neither of these extremes is exactly right. I'd be interested in what other people think.